Project Topics

DAICHI-2 captures tanker oil spill in the East China Sea

In January 6, 2018, Iranian company's tanker "SANCHI" (Panama flag) collided with a cargo ship (Hong Kong flag) in the East China Sea off the east coast of China and a fire broke out. The tanker drifted into Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) not being extinguished and exploded and sank at the sea about 315 km west of Amami Oshima in the afternoon of 14th. Oil is draining from the sunk tanker. JAXA observed near the sinking point with synthetic aperture radar (PALSAR-2) equipped with “DAICH...

About Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 "DAICHI-2" (ALOS-2)

The Earth needs a health check

The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) is follow-on mission from the "DAICHI", which contributed to cartography, regional observation, disaster monitoring, and resource surveys. ALOS-2 will succeed this mission with enhanced capabilities.
Specifically, JAXA is conducting research and development activities to improve wide and high-resolution observation technologies developed for DAICHI in order to further fulfill social needs.

1) Disaster monitoring of damage areas, both in cosiderable detail, and when these areas may be large
2) Continuous updating of data archives related to national land and infrastructure information
3) Effective monitoring of cultivated areas
4) Global monitoring of tropical rain forests to identify carbon sinks.

The state-of-the-art L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2) aboard ALOS-2, which is an active microwave radar using the 1.2GHz frequency range, will, in responding to society's needs, have enhanced performance compared to DAICHI/PALSAR. The PALSAR-2 is capable of observing day and night, and in all weather conditions.

Precise diagnosis of the earth using "L-band SAR" Japanese advanced technology

ALOS-2 will have a spotlight mode (1 to 3m) and a high resolution mode (3 to 10m), whilst PALSAR has a 10m resolution. It will allow comprehensive monitoring of disasters by providing users with more detailed data than DAICHI/PALSAR.
The observation frequency of ALOS-2 will be improved by greatly expanding the observable range of the satellite up to about 3 times, througe an improvement in obserble areas (from 870km to 2,320km), as well as giving ALOS-2 a right-and-left looking function, currently not available on DAICHI/PALSAR.